Disposable scrub brush

ABSTRACT

A disposable scrub brush, preferably made of chemical foam, and which is sufficiently economical to warrant discarding after a single usage. The brush, while being highly desirable for surgical usage for scrubbing the arms and hands prior to an operation, may also be utilized for numerous other purposes including use as a cosmetic brush, industrial usage, and many others as will be apparent to one skilled in the art. The brush carries its own soap or detergent supply and this, of course, may be varied in accordance with the intended usage of the brush.

United States Patent Lane [4 1 Dec. 26, 1972 54] DISPOSABLE SCRUB BRUSH[72] Inventor: Kenneth R. Lane, Salt Lake City,

Utah

[73] Assignee: LeVoys 1nc., Salt Lake City, Utah [22] Filed: Nov. 18,1968 21 Appl. No.: 776,507

[52] US. Cl. ..15/104.93, 15/244 C [51] Int. Cl. ..A47k 7/03 [58] Fieldof Search ..401/201; 15/244, 223, 224, l5/l04.93, 104.94, 228, 187, 188, 210;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,996,409 8/1961 Lavely.....15/1 18 UX 2,620502 12/1952 Russak 3,188,675 6/1965 Beck 3,204,2789/1965 Lambros .,...15/244 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,429,257l/1966 France 1,106,965 7/1955 France Primary Examiner-Leon G. MachlinAttorney-Hill, Sherman, Meroni, Gross & Simpson [57] ABSTRACT Adisposable scrub brush, preferably made of chemical foam, and which issufficiently economical to warrant disca'rding after a single usage. Thebrush, while being highly desirable for surgical usage for scrubbing thearms and hands prior to an operation, may also be utilized for numerousother purposes including use as a cosmetic brush, industrial usage, andmany others as will be apparent to one skilled in the art. The brushcarries its own soap or detergent supply and this, of course, may bevaried in accordance with the intended usage of the brush.

6 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTEnoeczcs m2 707 0 1 sum 1 or 2PATENTEMEI; 26 m2 3.707.012

SHEET 2 UF 2 SUBBED I 36' DUDE DISPOSABLE SCRUB BRUSH SUMMARY OF THEINVENTION scrubbing faces as absorption increased, thereby' renderingthe brushes difficult to handle and properly manipulate, therebyrendering the brushes unsatisfactory for surgical as well as other uses.Further, no provision was made in such brushes heretofore for theeffective cleansing of the nails as distinguished from the scrubbing ofsmooth skin surfaces. All in all, brushes of this type developedheretofore, especially single usage brushes, have proven undesirable forsurgical purposes.

The instant invention overcomes the disadvantages and problems of thebrushes made heretofore by providing an economical single usage brushformed of a block of chemical foam which in its original state isuniform throughout but which after being formed is provided with cuts inone or both faces, which cuts define grooves and a cleansing substancesuch as soap or a detergent, preferably in paste form, may be insertedin as many of the grooves as desired. The brush is self-sustaining as toshape and if forcibly compressed will promptly assume its original shapeupon relief of pressure. The shape retaining property of the brush iseffective throughout its use and regardless of how much moisture iscarried by the brush. The number and spacing of the cuts determine therigidity of the portions between cuts and the texture of the scrubbingsurfaces. Further the brush is preferably manufactured in a manner suchthat it will not absorb water or other liquids but will carry such onthe various surfaces which are increased as to area by virtue of thecuts. The cuts may be arranged in various ways to vary the number ofscrubbing edges on the respective scrubbing faces of the brush, wherebybrushes may be provided through a considerable range of scrubbing facetextures and rigidity of parts, and also whereby it is a simple matterto vary the widths between the cuts on the same scrubbing face toprovide more rigid portions for the cleansing of the nails and a lessrigid portion for scrubbing over the skin. It will be apparent thereforethat brushes embodying improvements of the instant invention may easilybe made for numerous purposes, such as a fairly stout brush havingnon-irritating scrubbing surfaces that feel fairly soft to the skin forsurgical usage, softer feeling brushes for bathing infants, brusheshaving a comfortable feel for cosmetic use-and bathing, brushes havingcoarser rubbing surfaces for scrubbing pots and pans, sinks, automobiletires and various other objects, heavy-duty brushes for use bymachinists and other industrial workmen and others as will be apparentto one skilled in the art. The cleansing substance content of thebrushes may be also varied as desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of ascrubbing brush embodying principles of the instant invention showingthe same in an inverted position with respect to the use of the brush;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the structure of FIG. 1 in position forusage;

FIG. 3 is an end view in elevation of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a modified form of theinstant invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the structure of FIG. 4, inverted, andillustrating the manner of compressing the brush to provide moreexpulsion of cleansing substance;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of another modification of thisinvention illustrating a different manner of carrying the cleansingcompound in the brush;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view through abrush illustrating a method of providing cuts in the scrubbing surfaceof a brush for heavy-duty work;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of another modification of theinstant invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of still a further modification of theinstant invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the cuts necessary for aheavy-duty brush; and

FIG. 11 shows a different shape of brush.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The instant inventionispreferably made of a chemical foam, and while the desired rigidity andscrubbing texture I may be obtained from such foams as the styrene,urethane and vinyl foams, among others, a highly satisfactory and provenbrush embodying the instant invention is made from an expanded lowdensity polyethylene foam. This foam is initially formed in a uniformblock of material that is semi-rigid and provides excellent scrubbingsurfaces especially when cuts are made in the surface of the material.Further, the preferred foam used with the instant invention is of aclosed cell type so that the ultimate scrub brush will not function inthe manner of a sponge, but, on the contrary, will maintain its shapeduring use, and the original integrity or texture and optimum feel ofthe scrubbing face or faces will remain constant throughout use.

The brush may be of any desired shape and it has been found that a brushin the form of a rectangular block is highly satisfactory. For mostcases a brush approximately 2 inches wide, 3 inches long, and 1 inch inthickness is very easy to hold, highly effective in use, and amplysufficient for body cleansing purposes.

By way of example, the instant invention in all its variousmodifications will be herein described as made of expanded polyethylenefoam of a weight between 2 and 3 pounds per cubic foot.

In FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, I have shown a form of the invention highlysatisfactory for surgical usage, cosmetic usage, and bathing. This brushis illustrated in the form of a block 1 of polyethylene foam, whichmaterial when formed into a uniform piece has a grain as indicated at 2in the illustrated instance, the grain runs lengthwise of the block.This grain while diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1 is notvisiblewhen a brush is cut from a slab of foam of indefinite width, but isvisible if one side or face of the brush has contacted the form or moldduring the making of the foam slab. The grain disposed as indicated inFIG. 1 renders the block 1 more compressible laterally than it islengthwise. The upper face 3 of the block 1 is provided with a series ofspaced cuts lengthwise of the block defining grooves 4, and a series ofextremely fine cuts 5 crosswise of the block which, with the grooves 4define polygonal projections 6,square in the illustrated instance. Theunderface 7 of the block is also provided with a series of spaced .cutsrunning lengthwise of the block and defining grooves 8 between which arelengthwise extending ribs 9. The grooves 8 are filled-with a cleaningsubstance 10 such as a soap or detergent in pasteform which will emanatefrom the grooves during usage of the brush, and may be encouraged bycompressing the brush laterally adjacent the top face thereof to expandthe grooves 8 as shown in FIG. 5 illustrating the second embodiment ofthe invention. Sincethe cuts are provided in the foam block 1 after thefoam has been formed uniformly throughout, the provision of the cutswill provide open cells in the foam along each of the opposed faces ofthe grooves, thereby increasing the holding capacity of the grooves forcleaning substance. This is desirable particularly in connection withbrushes for surgical or bathing usage in order to provide the brusheswith a life approaching 20 minutes. For surgical purposes the cleaningsubstance preferably contains an anti-bacterial element, while forcosmetic or bathing usage the cleaning substance may be provided with apleasant odor, such substance varying in accordance with the individualtask a brush is to perform.

The surface brush resistance, texture of the scrubbing faces and theoptimum feel for the desired scrubbing surfaces are dependent upon andcontrolled by the depth of the grooves, thewidth of the grooves, thenumber of ribs or projections per inch in either direction, and thedirection of the cut of the grooves in relation to the grain of theblock. Consequently when a brush is made for a new task it is necessaryto employ a somewhat cut-and-try method of determining these dimensionsand directions of cut in order to provide a brush most effective for theparticular task for which it is designed. For example, the brushillustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, when made for surgical purposes, maysatisfactorily have the grooves 8 in the bottom face approximatelythree-eighths inch deep, the grooves 4 in the upper face approximatelythree-sixteenths inch deep, cross cuts 5 approximate five-sixteenthsinch deep. The longitudinal grooves in the top and lower faces may bebetween one sixty-fourth and one thirtysecond inch in width, while thelateral cuts 5 in the top face are so fine that as long as the brush isin its original condition and not bent longitudinally, the grooves madeby these lateral cuts are virtually invisible.

Also, in the construction of the'brush seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, it willbe noted that the longitudinal ribs 9 between the grooves in theunderface of the block are of less width than are the projections 6 inthe upper face of the block. This, along with the deeper cuts of thegrooves renders the bottom ribs 9 less rigid than the projections in theupper face of the block. Thus there is a distinct variance in thescrubbing surfaces which'can be adopted at will during use of the brush.In the illustrated instance the bottom ribs may satisfactorily be sevenforth-eighths inch in width while the widths of the projections 6 areapproximately nine forty-eighths inch. It will further be noted that themarginal ribs 9a-9a on the bottom scrubbing surface 7 are wider than theribs in between them, while the marginal projections 6a on the scrubbingface 3 of the block are wider than the intermediate rows of projections.This provides a stiffer or more rigid marginal region for the cleansingof finger nails by inserting the nail in the adjacent longitudinalgroove.

In will be understood that with the embodiment of the instant inventionabove described, cleaning substance may be placed in any or all groovesin either of the scrubbing faces of the block 1 as maybe deemeddesirable or necessary, and the same is true with other embodiments ofthe invention to be later set forth herein.

In use, the instant invention is extremely simple and effective. Theuser need only wet his hands, the brush, or both, and proceedimmediately with the scrubbing operation. Usually the side of the brushcarrying the cleansing substance will be first applied to the skin, andthen if desired, the brush may be reversed and the scrubbing surfacethat does 'not carry the soap may be utilized against the skin. In theinstance of the above described embodiment, there will be a slightvariation in the top scrubbing surface 3 depending upon which directionthe brush is moved over the skin. Due to the grain in the block 1, theprojections 6 and 6a are a trifle stiffer when the brush is movedlongitudinally than the projections are when the brush is movedlaterally. Vigorous scrubbing with the brush will cause some separationbetween the projections along the fine cross cuts 5, thereby exposingmore scrubbing edges. The brush may be laterally compressed by the handsof the user if desired in order to encourage release of the cleaningsubstance, but regardless how vigorous the scrubbing or how the brushmay be handled, it will always tend to assume its original shape whenpressure is released. Consequently, the ribs and projections on thescrubbing faces will also retain their original degree of stiffness orrigidity because the liquid is surface-carried by the brush and notabsorbed in the closed cells of the brush. After a relatively longscrubbing operation by a surgeon or the like, from 10 to 20 minutes, thebrush may be discarded, it being sufficiently economical to warrantsuch. For the next scrubbing operation, a new sterilized brush isutilized. After each operation, the skin is thoroughly and effectivelycleansed.

ln FIGS. 4 and 5, In have illustrated a brush more desirable for thecleansing of a surface such as a countertop, a piece of furniture, awall, or the like rather than body skin. This brush comprises a block 11of the same material and nature as the block Land which is provided onone face with longitudinal and. lateral grooves 12 and 13 respectivelycut so as to define polygonal projections 14, square in the illustratedinstance. With this arrangement a medium heavy brush may be provided bycutting both the longitudinal grooves 12 and the lateral grooves 13 tothe same depth approximately one-eighth inch and a width ofapproximately one-sixteenth inch and spacing the grooves approximatelyonetfourth inch apart. The cleansing substance may be placed in any,all, or none of the grooves as may be desired. On the opposite face ofthe brush a lesser number of longitudinal grooves are provided to permitthe brush to be compressed laterally as shown in FIG. 5 to promoteexpulsion of cleansing substance from the grooves 12 and 13 if the sameis used, or to expand the grooves 12 and vary the scrubbing surface.Deepening the grooves 12 and 13 to three-sixteenths inch provides'abrush of lesser coarseness, and a further degree of softness may beobtained in the scrubbing surface by narrowing the widths of the groovesto approximately one thirty-second inch and deepening the grooves toapproximately one-fourth inch.

In FIG. 6, l have illustrated substantially the same type of brush shownin FIG. 4, but have illustrated a different manner of carrying thecleansing substance within the brush. In this instance, one or moreholes 16 may be drilled through the body of the block 11 eitherlaterally or longitudinally thereof, and each hole filled with cleansingsubstance as indicated at 17. Squeezing of the brush will then expel thecleansing liquid at the ends of the brush. This method of carrying thecleansing liquid can, of course, be utilized with any embodiments of theinstant invention. The hole through the brush is preferably in a solidportion of the brush below the depths of the grooves in either face ofthe brush.

In FIG.v 7, I have illustrated a way of providing grooves in a coarsebrush for scrubbing pots and pans, sinks, automobile tires, and otherarticles that will better stand up under such rough abusive. A brushblock 18 is shown, and a groove is formed by pressing into the block 18a hot wire 19 such as an electrical high resistance wire. This resultsin providing a somewhat skin effect as indicated at 20 on both sides ofthe groove leaving no open pores but stiffening the outer scrubbingedges of each projection or rib defined by the grooves.

In FIG. 8, l have illustrated a brush comprising a block 21 having ascrubbing surface thereon that is sufficiently soft for the bathing ofan infant. This brush can be made by cutting longitudinal grooves 22 andlateral grooves 23 to provide projections 24, square in the illustratedinstance, on the scrubbing face. The grooves could be three-sixteenthsto one-fourth inch in depth, and of a width one thirty-second inch orless, defining approximately 6 projections per linear inch. A brushhaving a still softer scrubbing surface will be provided by furtherslightly narrowing the widths of the grooves and moving them closertogether to provide approximately 8 projections per inch maintaining adepth of about one-fourth inch. Cleansing substance may be utilized inany of the grooves that may be desired.

In FIG. 9, I have illustrated a still different scrubbing surface on abrush comprising a block 25 having rectangular projections 26 defined bylongitudinal grooves 27 and lateral grooves 28, one set of grooves beingspaced farther apart than the other set, and one set of grooves beingdeeper than those of the other set. Such variations in the manner ofcutting directly affects the flexibility of the projections in lateraland longitudinal directions on the brush, giving a difference inroughness depending upon whether the brush is moved laterally orlongitudinally over the surface being cleansed.

In FIG. 10, I have illustrated the formation of a stout heavy dutybrush, desirable for the cleansing of a mechanics hands and nails or forthe cleansing of various articles. Such a brush may be provided from ablock 29 having both longitudinal grooves 30 and lateral grooves 31defining substantially square projections 32. Cutting both sets ofgrooves to a depth of substantially one-eighth inch and a width from onethirtysecond to one-sixteenth inch so as to provide approximately 3projections per linear inch results in a scrubbing surface that ishighly durable and, with a hard, coarse feel. Again, the texture of thescrubbing surface may be altered by deepening the grooves or by spacingthem closer together.

In FIG. 11, I have illustrated a brush 33 merely to indicate that thebrush need not necessarily be rectangular in shape but may be circularor various other shapes. In this instance a circular brush is providedwith grooves 34 extending across the scrubbing surface and grooves 35extending at right angles to the first set of grooves. The grooves maybe spaced apart to provide projections 36 of any desirable size, and thegrooves may be made shallow or deep to provide a scrubbing texture asdesired. As in the case with the previous brushes, detergent may besupplied in as many or as much of each set of grooves as is desired.Such cleansing substance may be placed in grooves substantially overhalf the scrubbing surface leaving the other half of the surface cleanif that renders the brush more suitable for the individual task it is toperform.

From the foregoing it is apparent that l have provided a disposablescrubbing brush that effectively maintains its shape and texture of thescrubbing surface throughout its use, and which may be simply made inany of a great variety of degrees of softness or coarseness, foranything from light duty such as bathing of a new born infant to heavyduty such as the cleansing of automobile tires and other relativelyrough-surfaced objects. The brush can be provided with or withoutcleansing compound carried therein, opposed scrubbing surfaces ofdifferent texture and which may be provided in a sterile condition,sufficiently economical to warrant disposal of the brush after a singleusage.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effectedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of thepresent invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A disposable brush comprising:

an elongated semi-rigid chemical foam block; the foam of said blockbeingof the closed cell type whereby the block will only adsorb and notabsorb and therefore will retain its shape and texture throughout roughwashings;

a series of longitudinal cuts in one face of said block defining spacedgrooves and providing a good scrubbing surface;

and said foam block having a grain lengthwise of the block and saidgrooves extending generally parallel to said grain whereby the brush ismore compressible in direction across the grain and grooves than withsaid grain and grooves.

2. A disposable brush according to claim 1,

said grooves being separated by longitudinal ribs;

a semi-rigid chemical foam block;

and the ribs along the longitudinal side margins of said face beingwider and stiffer than the ribs between said side marginal ribs 'tofacilitate scrubbing the fingernails. 3. A disposable brush comprising:

the foam of said block being of the closed cell type whereby the blockwill only adsorb and not absorb and therefore will retain its shape andtexture throughout rough washings;

a series of cuts in one face of said block defining spaced grooves andproviding a good scrubbing surface;

a series of cuts in the opposite face of said block of different depththan those in said one face and IS defining grooves;

and a cleansing substance carried within a plurality of the deepergrooves.

4. A disposable brush according to claim 3:

said grooves being separated by longitudinal ribs;

and the outside ribs between the edge of the block and the next insidegroove on said one face being wider than the other ribs to facilitatecleansing of the nails. A disposable brush comprising:

a semi-rigid chemical foam block; the foam of said block being of theclosed cell type whereby the block will only adsorb but not absorb andtherefore will retain its shape and texture throughout rough washings;

series of cuts in one face of said block defining spaced grooves;

a second series of cuts in said face running at an angle to said firstseries of cuts, thereby defining rows of polygonal projections betweenthe grooves each having a plurality of scrubbing edges on the outer endthereof; a series of cuts in the opposite face of said block definingspaced grooves separated by longitudinal ribs;

and a cleansing medium in certain of said grooves.

The brush of claim 5,'wherein the outside ribs 20 between the edge ofthe block and the next inside groove in said opposite face are widerthan the other ribs to facilitate cleansing of the nails.

1. A disposable brush comprising: an elongated semi-rigid chemical foamblock; the foam of said block being of the closed cell type whereby theblock will only adsorb and not absorb and therefore will retain itsshape and texture throughout rough washings; a series of longitudinalcuts in one face of said block defining spaced grooves and providing agood scrubbing surface; and said foam block having a grain lengthwise ofthe block and said grooves extending generally parallel to said grainwhereby the brush is more compressible in direction across the grain andgrooves than with said grain and grooves.
 2. A disposable brushaccording to claim 1, said grooves being separated by longitudinal ribs;and the ribs along the longitudinal side margins of said face beingwider and stiffer than the ribs between said side marginal ribs tofacilitate scrubbing the fingernails.
 3. A disposable brush comprising:a semi-rigid chemical foam block; the foam of said block being of theclosed cell type whereby the block will only adsorb and not absorb andtherefore will retain its shape and texture throughout rough washings; aseries of cuts in one face of said block defining spaced grooves andproviding a good scrubbing surface; a series of cuts in the oppositeface of said block of different depth than those in said one face anddefining grooves; and a cleansing substance carried within a pluralityof the deeper grooves.
 4. A disposable brush according to claim 3: saidgrooves being separated by longitudinal ribs; and the outside ribsbetween the edge of the block and the next inside groove on said oneface being wider than the other ribs to facilitate cleansing of thenails.
 5. A disposable brush comprising: a semi-rigid chemical foamblock; the foam of said block being of the closed cell type whereby theblock will only adsorb but not absorb and therefore will retain itsshape and texture throughout rough washings; a series of cuts in oneface of said block defining spaced grooves; a second series of cuts insaid face running at an angle to said first series of cuts, therebydefining rows of polygonal projections between the grooves each having aplurality of scrubbing edges on the outer end thereof; a series of cutsin the opposite face of said block defining spaced grooves separated bylongitudinal ribs; and a cleansing medium in certain of said grooves. 6.The brush of claim 5, wherein the outside ribs between the edge of theblock and the next inside groove in said opposite face are wider thanthe other ribs to facilitate cleansing of the nails.